The 2026-27 campaign is right around the corner, and Illinois basketball is laced with talent.
Before the season even starts, you can tell this is one of the best, if not the best, teams Brad Underwood has ever had in his time coaching basketball.
Illinois had so much talent return from a Final Four run months ago, and that talent has contributed to a list of the elite players in the game.
On Tuesday, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report put together a list of the top 100 players in college basketball. Illinois talent is littered throughout.
In fact, after reading through the entire list, the Illini check in with seven of the top 100 players in the game. That is a massive number if you consider some of the math. Let’s take the starting five of each of the top 20 teams in the country. That, right there, is 100 players.
Illinois has seven of the top 100. I can’t remember a time when we had that much talent come together on a team. The top dog hasn’t even suited up for the Orange and Blue, either.
Checking in at No. 19 on the list is incoming freshman Quentin Coleman. There is a ton of hype around this former five-star recruit, and he is already being eyed by NBA scouts.
The hope with Coleman is that he turns into a Keaton Wagler-type of player. Someone Illinois can trust with the ball, and he can be the guy we go to in tight situations. Wagler was great at going into the phone booth and coming out as Superman at the right time.
There is only one issue with having so many Illinois basketball players in the top 100
It is fun seeing all of this talent on the Illinois basketball team. Coleman is in the top 20, David Mirkovic and Stefan Vaaks are top 50 players, freshman Lucas Morillo is a top 65 player, Andrej Stojakovic is a top 75 player, and Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic are both top 95 players.
The only issue I could see with this group is sharing the basketball. There are seven top 100 players on the roster, but there is only one basketball that is out there bouncing around.
Each player sees his name on the top 100 list, and that puts them in a different mindset. They are now one of the best players in the game, and to go even higher, they could score more points. That takes having the ball in their hands.
While this is the best team Underwood has ever had, it also could be the most interesting coaching job ahead. He has to figure out a way to spread the wealth across one of the most talent-rich rosters in the country.
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